July 31, 2015. Posted by Tim Wilkins.

WBGO welcomes Ben and Leo Sidran as our special correspondents at the 2015 Newport Jazz Festival, July 31 - August 2.

Leo and Ben will report every day on the sights and sounds of the fest for WBGO-FM, WBGO HD2 and at WBGO.ORG/SIDRAN.

Their first report will air on the WBGO Journal on Friday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Ben Sidran is familiar to many NPR listeners as the longtime host of “Jazz Alive” and “Sidran on Record.” He’s also a free-spirited pianist, university professor and poet who’s been dubbed “the first existentialist jazz rapper.”

Leo, Ben’s son, is also a musician and record producer, whose credits include the Academy Award-winning song “Al Otro Lado Del Rio,” from the 2004 film The Motorcycle Diaries. He’s the host of The Third Story, a podcast series of unguarded conversations with musicians and other creative artists.

“It’s a perfect match,” says Ben. “WBGO is the flagship jazz station in the world, and Newport is the flagship festival. We’re so excited to be here, together.”

Of particular interest to the Sidrans is the festival’s embrace of new and emerging talent, such as twelve-year-old pianist Joey Alexander and the Brooklyn-based band Snarky Puppy.

"What I really love about the feeling this year is that there’s so much talk about the future,” says Leo.